Everything Fades to Black
by monochromememories9
Summary: Draco sees Hermione, battered and bruised, being wheeled into St. Mungo's. He begins to reminisce about their Eighth Year, while Hermione beings to remember the same while unconscious. HG/DM.
1. Chapter 1

Hermione Granger was being wheeled into the St. Mungo's emergency room. She was thin, waif-like and her hair more reddish than it had been, was an untamed mess around her face. Her face and battered body were covered with bruises in scratches and there was a thin trickle of ruby red blood escaping from the corner of her mouth. Her barely open eyes had a dull, lifeless look in them even though she still had a heartbeat, as faint as it was.

* * *

Draco Malfoy had an amused smirk on his face as he leaned against the wall in the Mungo's ER, as he recalled his best friend Pansy shouting at his other best friend, Blaise, her husband to stop being such a wuss while she was going into labour. Now the happy couple was alone in her rrom with the latest addition to the family, Sagittaria Parkinson-Zabini. He had been quite pleased, and just a bit surprised at being named godfather. He looked up as a sudden flurry of activity caught his attention. There was a large group of Healers surrounding a bed in the centre of the room. As a chunk of Healers broke off, running to prepare a room, no doubt, he got a clear view of the person's face. His smirk vanished instantly. It was Hermione Granger.

* * *

Draco thought of the first day of their Eighth Year, a year and a half ago. Blaise had married Pansy, but had returned to Hogwarts. Pansy however, had not, but had gone into fashion design. She had found a flat in Hogsmeade from where she was planning to Floo to work thrice a week. Draco was searching for an empty carriage on the train while Blaise said goodbye to Pansy. He himself had no one to say goodbye to. His father was dead, and his mother was ill, and had stayed home. He wandered through the corridor, until he came upon an empty compartment. That's what he thought, anyway. Once he walked in, he discovered Granger lying on the seat; bare feet on the cool glass window, with a dreamy vacant look in her eyes and a seemingly sad smile on her face. White wires snaked out of her ears trailing on to her loose purple shirt and curling into the pocket of her black Muggle jeans. Looking at her face, he suddenly felt...awkward. She did not seem to have even registered his presence. He quickly walked out and gently closed the door. He found an empty carriage at the end of the train, where Blaise met him. He looked out the window for most of the ride, and his thoughts kept drifting to the dead look in her eyes.

_The same look he had seen when he saw her face in the ER. The Healers had taken her into another room, and when he had rushed to follow they had made him stay outside, where he now stood pacing up and down the empty, completely silent corridor._

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the room, Hermione was slipping in and out of consciousness. Having finally left the realm of consciousness, she began to dream of the last time she had any halfway decent happy memories. Her Eight Year. Hermione had been a mess. She had gone back to Australia to lift the charm from her parents, who instead of being grateful, loving, admiring, _caring_, had called her a 'manipulative, sneaky little bitch who didn't care about them and who never was, and would never be their daughter'. She had been flabbergasted. And on top of that the Weasleys hadn't exactly been happy with her when she said that she said she didn't want to be in a relationship with Ron. Only George and Ginny still talked to her after that. Thinking of the Weasleys, she felt incredibly lonely. Harry had joined Auror training, as had Ron. Harry was engaged to Ginny, who was Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. Ron, too was engaged to Lavender Brown, the whore, who said that he was allowed to talk to Hermione. Hermione didn't mind, as Ron would be Lavender most of the time, and she would have nothing to do with that bitch. But the loss of her best friend still got to her. She was distracted throughout dinner, and barely heard McGonagall tell the Eighth Years to stay back after. "...to promote house unity, you will all be sharing a common room. This was decided as there were so few of you in each house; it would be impractical to have dorms with them. Also, we...um, realise that the rest of the students do not know what it was like during the War. They have not experienced such loss, they have not been through such harrowing situations. We thought that you would like to stay with those who know how you feel. So, follow me."

They walked through the corridors until they came to a statue of a faerie, with intricate patterns on her wings. She asked in a cool melodic voice, "Password?" "Equilibrium" said McGonagall. The faerie faded into the wall where she became a golden pattern on wood. Her wings formed the doors, and her arms the handles. Her body split as McGonagall swung the doors inward, opening into a large stone room, with multiple fires and soft carpets. "Gryffindor and Slytherin dorms are on the left, and Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw on the right. Goodnight." She turned around and strode out the door purposefully.

Hermione went up and magically unpacked. Her room was big, and had an attached bathroom. She had had to walk up a flight of stairs while Zabini and Malfoy had to walk down. She assumed that it would be the same for the other side, with Ravenclaw up, as Gryffindors and Ravenclaw had dorms in towers while the others did not. The stairs were in antechambers on opposite sides of the main room, which was quite big and long. Hermione picked up Good Omens and went into the common room to read. She was reading, stretched out on the sofa for a solid hour. She got up and decided to go put her book back in her room. She still hadn't decided on her decor, as her room was charmed to look exactly how she wished.

She walked in to the antechamber and climbed up the stairs. Currently her room was red and gold, but she had always found that a bit too garish. She stood at the doorway and thought hard. Her bed transformed into a sleek white box. Her favourite comforter from home, white with purple swirl designs was on it. The walls were granite grey. On one wall, there were purple decals. Another had a black wrought iron grill. Fairly lights wound themselves around the grill. The remaining wall had a rippling image of London, changing as the day passed. The bathroom was pristine and beige, like one would expect at a fancy hotel. She sat on a black beanbag for a while and enjoyed the view. She then changed into shorts and loose tee and walked back down. She heard voices as she walked back down. Looking over the banister, she saw Malfoy and Zabini joking and laughing. Zabini saw almost immediately and shouted out, "Hey Granger! Care to join us?" Hermione bit her lip, hesitating, but then thought "What the hell. It's not like I'm doing anything interesting anyway." and continued walking down. She sat on the pile of cushions, between the two Slytherins.

* * *

Draco recalled when she had first talked to him and Blaise. There had been a moment of awkwardness, but he quickly filled in. And somehow managed to make it _worse._"So how are Potter and Weasley? Not to forget Weaselette."

"I don't...know." she said weakly.

Draco's eyebrows lifted in incredulity. He was about to say something clever, but looked at her face and then decided the better of it. "They're busy, to say the least." She finished in a small voice. Draco decided he better change the subject.

"So, read anything interesting lately, Granger?" he asked. Her face brightened and she immediately started talking about some book or the other. "Typical." He thought, and mentally snorted. But he joined in the conversation and she was talking about some Muggle books, which sounded quite interesting. As the conversation wore thin, Blaise interjected, "So how's restoration going at the manor, Malfoy?" "Fine. Mother's all excited about it. We should to something new in the dungeons! The sitting room in the right needs its furniture restored!" he mimicked. He and Blaise both turned to look at Granger., who had fallen silent. Her face was deathly pale. Suddenly she started crying and bolted. Blaise looked at him in confusion, until it dawned on Draco. Jeez, the things that had happened in the Manor. And he had talked about those specific roms where his psychotic aunt had tortured them! He smacked himself on the head.

Slowly, he turned to Blaise and said, "She's been there. It wasn't...great. Bellatrix Crucio'd her again and again. No wonder she's bit unstable now. She...she fucking scratched Mudblood into her arm! And that scar on her neck? That's Bellatrix's work, too. Ah, shit. Crapcrapcrapcrap." Blaise gave him a sympathetic look. "Well, it's eleven thirty," he said, standing up. "Best be off to bed. Long day tomorrow." Blaise stretched and walked down the stairs. Draco, meanwhile, sat on the couch. He couldn't believe he had been so stupid. Right in front of Granger, that too. In her damn face.

He sat there, groaning inwardly. He picked up the book he had got up to read, 'Thud!' and began to read to lift his mood slightly. Half an hour later, he decided to turn in, but not before going and apologising to Granger. Picking up his book, he walked up the sleek white stairs which reminded him of piano keys. He knocked on the ebony door and waited for a response. After a minute, he heard a soft voice say "Come in." He carefully opened the door and walked in. Granger was sitting on her bed, cocooned in blankets, As his eyes swept the room, he was struck by the greyness of it all. He had expected it to be all red and golden, house pride and what not. But perhaps not. "Er, Granger. I just wanted... to apologise, if I..um made you uncomfortable by talking about the Manor, and your...friends."

She looked at him with surprise clearly etched on her face. "That's very kind of you, Malfoy." She said, her voice muffled through the blankets. Looking at her eyes, he could make out that she had been crying. As he began to look downwards, he saw those white wires, again. They piqued his curiosity. "Granger, if you don't mind my asking, what are those wire things?" She let out a scoff. "Draco Malfoy, interested in Muggle technology? That's new." He looked affronted. He was trying to change, after all. Laughing, this time She took out a black and silver little rectangle. "This, Mr. Malfoy, is called an iPod." He could see a bitten apple on the back. She turned it face him and he saw a lit up screen. "It stores music in it, which can be heard though these," she said pointing at the little buds at the ends of the wires.

Suddenly, she looked directly at him. "Would you like to listen?"

Suddenly feeling immensely awkward, he turned around and said, "Maybe later, Granger. I have to catch up on my beauty sleep." "You don't need to." She suddenly giggled, no bitterness or incredulity in her laugh. He turned to look at her with a grin. "Well, they don't say you're right about everything for nothing." Closing the door he walked down two flights of stairs. "Did I just have a normal conversation with _Granger_? " He couldn't believe it. He walked into his room. It had old-fashioned, yet stylish furniture. Everything was white, but darkened into black at the edges. "There is darkness in everything," he mused. "How fitting." He fell on his bed, but as he drifted off to sleep, he thought not of darkness, but his mind was filled with thoughts of Hermione Granger.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: If anyone is interested in being a beta, please let me know! I don't think my grammar is all that bad, but it's useful to have someone check. Also, I would really like a second perspective. Thanks! ~mm9  
**

* * *

The next morning, Hermione woke up with a slightly damp comforter. She was puzzled until she remembered the previous night. "Did I have a normal conversation with _Draco Malfoy_?" she wondered. "What the hell." She looked at the clock. The time was 8:06. She picked up her uniform and walked into her bathroom. She had an hour until breakfast, so she decided to have a nice, long luxurious bath. She sank into the warm water in her tub and began thinking about her friends.

Harry was still her friend, but he was just... so busy. He had Auror training, and well, he was Harry bloody Potter! He had all kinds of events to attend, so many speeches to give, so many things to do...He was the Ministry's poster child for _everything._ But she had been his best friend for seven years, hadn't she? Didn't she deserve a letter every now and then? His last letter had been a month ago. It had been so short, so uninformative; she didn't feel like a part of his life anymore.

And Ron. Ron Weasley, that bastard. He was engaged to Lavender Brown for one second and suddenly she controlled his life. But he had stopped being particularly friendly to her long before that. The moment she turned him down, he had been furious, saying that she didn't have a choice, it was how their story was supposed to go. And her thoughts? They didn't matter. She had gotten so angry. She began screaming at him. "You _arse,_ Ronald Weasley! My thoughts aren't _important_?I don't have a say in my _own _life? And you, a bloody _idiot, you,_ are trying to control my life?" and his reply, his reply finally set her loose. "Well, come on, 'Mione. You may be a famous war hero, but look at you! Who do you think is going to want you?! You never make an effort to look good, you never have time for anything other than reading..." he stopped short at the look on her face. "And you would know, wouldn't you? You, you were an important part of my life, and just when we needed you most, you abandoned us? I still haven't forgiven you for that, Ron," spitting out his name, her voice full of contempt. "_And I never will."_ With a wave of her wand, she completely trashed his already messy room, driving everything to the floor, shattering all the awards he didn't deserve, breaking his furniture. At last, the only thing left was a picture of the three of them after the war. They looked so happy together. She knew he would have more copies, but she couldn't help herself. She slashed his face with her wand. "You don't deserve to be a part of that anymore, Ronald", she said quietly. "Goodbye." She turned on the spot. She knew he would have to call his mother to clean it up. Something Hermione herself had always done. Clean up the messes _he _ had made. The next day she got a Howler from Mrs. Weasley. She paid it no heed, and later that Ron Weasley would find a note floating in front of his face. A note with two short words on it.

_Fuck you._

Later, she would receive letters from Ginny and George, apologising for the rest of their family. But still, they did not talk much. George was trying to get over Fred's death, and had thrown himself into his work. Ginny had joined the Holyhead Harpies and was working very hard, trying to get to Captain. She saw all of them in the Prophet, but never herself. She had been forgotten by them, forgotten by the world. Sometimes, she didn't mind, but...sometimes you have to be lonely when you're alone. Thinking this, she fell asleep in her bathtub.

_In St. Mungo's, Hermione regained consciousness for just a moment until she slipped into a coma. Outside, Draco Malfoy was sitting on a bench, eyes almost closed.  
_

* * *

Draco thought back to those first weeks. He was always hanging out with Blaise, having a good time, but occasionally he would see Hermione Granger in the corner, all alone, nose in a book, never looking up. He found himself sneaking many glances at her. He was worried about her. Then he began worrying about that very same fact. He had only ever been worried about his mother. Thinking of his mother, he recalled the letter he had received from her private Healer earlier that week, saying that his mother was fine, although she had been advised bed rest for a week. He had also told him not to worry. Well, Draco had found someone else to be worried about. The Eighth Years didn't have a curfew, so he often found himself in the library around midnight, never being able to sleep.

One such night, he was sitting in a chair by the window, reading Hogwarts: A History, while the rain pounded against the school. The rain reminded him of his previous year at school when the war took place. The rain seemed to bring despair with it. Despair, and terror, and ruin. Suddenly he heard a scream, drawn-out and terrible. "We found it- we found it..." Draco froze. He had been there. He had been there when those screams had first been heard. He stiffly managed to walk to the corner of the library where he heard the screams. "PLEASE!" That terrible thought back to Malfoy Manor, all the horrible things that had happened there...he was suddenly incredibly glad his mother was remodelling. She had said so as soon as Lucius was sentenced for life at Azkaban. She had needed a new project, and it was far too soon for a party, or a ball, for no one could stand celebrating anything, not when so much had been lost. A high-pitched scream emanated from the corner again, and he rounded the shelf to see Granger on an armchair, asleep, with her face twisted in pain. He wasn't sure what to do. He shook her, gently at first, but when that didn't work he tried rather roughly. She continued to scream. He finally opened the window and let the rain lash on to her face. Her scream faded, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Granger, are you alright?" She took one look at him and started sobbing. "Dammit! Why was he a trigger for her worst memories?" "Granger, it was a dream, that was months ago. It's all over now." He shook her gently again. "Granger, you should get to bed. You look like hell. You need a decent night's sleep." She mumbled something incomprehensible but nodded slowly. She slowly lifted herself from her chair, and stumbled as she tried to walk. Draco offered his arm, and Granger accepted. They walked together in silence. When they reached the common room, Draco said "Equilibrium" and the faerie smiled and let them in. He left her at the stairs and walked down to his room. A few minutes later, there was a soft knock at his door.

"I don't think I can be alone right now." Said the girl at his door. He nodded tightly, and made way for her to walk in. She surveyed his room, but she saw the decor differently. While he saw the darkness in everything, she simply said one sentence. "Everything fades to black." He let her take the bed while he sat and thought on his armchair. He woke up with a sore neck. It was 6:03 according to his watch. The bed next to him was empty. He shrugged and flopped on to his bed for a couple more hours of sleep. As the week passed, he found himself going to the lake, his favourite spot to think, more and more. One night, around one, he was sitting in front of it and looking at his reflection. He saw a movement from the corner of his eye. Looking at the lake, he saw a spot of colour in the Astronomy Tower. Turning towards the school, he saw someone sitting in the tower window. There was only one person with hair like that...he decided he could use the company and walked up to the Astronomy Tower.

As he approached her, he heard mutter to herself. "No one's noticed. No letters, no gifts, no Weasley sweater." She let out a laugh full of bitterness. Draco decided he best not intrude and was slowly backing out, when he heard her say something. "What does it matter anyway? Everything fades to black in the end. I'm just going faster." He heard stones strike the sides of the tower. He turned to her and saw her sitting on the narrow ledge, as he realized what she was about to do. He ran to her, just as she slipped off the ledge. Leaning out the window, he barely caught her wrist before she would have been swallowed up by the dark. He pulled her over the ledge and made her sit as far from the window as he could get her. "What the hell is wrong with you, Granger? I thought you were smart!" he demanded harshly. "Do you know what day it is today, Malfoy?" he shook his head. "The 19th of September. My eighteenth birthday." "That was yesterday." He interjected. At her puzzled look, he explained. "It's one now." "That's not important." She hissed. "The thing is,no one has acknowledged it. No one has acknowledged the day I came into this world, after all I've done for it. If no one remembers I exist, what's the point of existing?"

_Draco awakened from his trance when he remembered those words. He suddenly realized everything. He looked at his digital Muggle watch. The time showed 3:00, 20/9/1999. "She had jumped a tower again, exactly one year later, even at the same time, as she had been in the hospital for 2 hours. The only difference from last time was that he had not been there to stop her. Of course she had chosen to jump again. She was terrified of heights. He wouldn't have put it past her to have jumped off the same Tower. He suddenly realized he should to Blaise and Pansy about what had happened, and where he had gone. He walked off in search._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: an anon just told me that my large chunks of text were hard to read, so I have done my best to split it into paragraphs. I am sorry that it put him/her off, but I hope he/she will come back to check. **

_Draco had gone to a sleeping Pansy's room and had been told that Blaise had left to wander around the hospital. AS he walked quickly through the corridors, he recalled the last time he had done the same thing, a year ago, but at Hogwarts._

He had just put Hermione in her bed. He needed Blaise's help and knew he would have to tell him everything about Granger, but he trusted him. Once he checked his room, and couldn't find him, he had been slightly panicked, but he kept reassuring himself by saying that there was a perfectly reasonable explanation. He walked around Hogwarts half an hour, checking all of Blaise's regular haunts, but didn't find him. Tired as he was, he walked into the common room. While walking towards the stairs, he saw a bunch of cushions in a dark dimly-lit corner which he had overlooked. On closer inspection, he saw the dark Italian sprawled over it.

Shaking him roughly awake, he said quietly, "Blaise, wake up! I need your help." The urgency was clear in his voice, and clearly it was what brought Blaise to attention. "Draco..wha-help...what?" he spluttered. "I need your help, Blaise. It's about Granger." Blaise's eyebrows shot up at this. Malfoy ignored it. He spilled the whole story, and as Blaise's eyebrows crawled higher up his head, nearly into his hair, his face also became sombre. "So what do you want me to do?" Malfoy thought about it. "What _could_ he do?" Once he thought, he said firmly, "We have to be Granger's friend. I refuse to let someone that damaged out of my sight for too long." Blaise nodded his head. The next morning dawned grey and gloomy. It was Friday, and the weekend was close. Draco waited for Hermione to come out of her room, while Blaise had nodded off on the couch. But, his tired eyes closed, and the next thing he knew he was being shaken awake by none another than the Golden Girl herself.

"Get up." She said. "You're late for breakfast." Draco was _this _close to rolling his eyes. "Good morning, Hermione." He didn't know why he called her that, but calling her Granger completely ignored the events of...only a few _hours_ ago? It felt like a year had gone past. He hit Zabini on the shoulder to wake him up. "Oi. Breakfast." _That _certainly woke him up. It was a wonder that he wasn't Goyle-shaped, the way he ate. The three walked down the Great Hall awkwardly, and in silence. Once they reached, the awkwardness was paramount. It was not a rule that you sat at your house table anymore, but most people did it, as there was no reason for them to sit anywhere else. But he felt that they should engage in conversation with her.

"Erm, Granger, would you like to sit with us...?" his question began to fade.

But she just gave a quick, grateful smile and nodded. He could feel the whole Hall following them with their eyes as this completely unprecedented even occurred. Blaise sat down without a word, and began loading his plate with bacon. He shook his head. Suddenly he heard a giggle from next to him. He turned and saw her smiling at Blaise, shaking her head. Blaise saw this and gave her a smile that would have been charming, had his mouth not been loaded with bacon. "Ehh..Gran-huh" he choked out. She passed him a glass of water. "Thanks." He gave her a proper smile, making her laugh again. But suddenly, her eyes glazed over, as she began to think.

Draco could tell she was thinking of memories with Potter and the Weasel. He needed to make her laugh. He grinned suddenly. "Oh no! We're five minutes late for Potions! Run!" he said in a high-pitched voice, startling her. She dropped her fork with a start and began to get up hurriedly, but when she saw his grin, she gave a huff. "Not funny, Mal-Draco." She looked angry but he could see the hints of a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "But we better get going anyway."

"Yes ma'am." He raised his hand in mock salute. The whole day went on with Blaise and himself following her around, pretending to be her troopers, making her laugh and smile, hoping she would forget being forgotten.

_In St. Mungo's, Draco walked into the cafeteria and found Blaise sitting alone, eating a sandwich like there was no tomorrow. He sank down into the chair next to him. "Blaise..it's Hermione."_

The first Hogsmeade weekend got off to a gloomy start. Rain pattered on the roof of the castle, and the Great Hall's ceiling was dark grey. She sat with Malfoy and Zabini, her two new friends. "That sounds weird" she thought, as she put a forkful of scrambled eggs in her mouth. Malfoy and Zabini were annoying her by adding food from her own plate and adding on to theirs. In retaliation, she picked up a sausage from Draco's plate and it in a go. "Granger..."he growled." That was MY sausage." She shrugged indifferently. "I ate it." She stuck her tongue out. "Deal with it." "I'm letting you go this time, Granger. But beware.." he ended in to what he must have thought was his spooky voice. She was laughin. She hadn't laughed like this in a while. It felt nice to be happy again.

As soon as she finished breakfast, the two boys got up, and each linking their arms through one of hers, began marching off. "You're coming with us today, Granger." As she walked off with them, she was suddenly aware of all the stares on her. "What am I doing?" she thought. "Hanging out with Slytherins?" But, deciding to do something for herself for once, she ignored all the disbelieving, shocked gazes and marched off, nose in the air, with her two new friends. "So where are we going?" she asked, out of curiosity. "Hogsmeade, of course." Malfoy replied. "We have plans!"

The three walked past Filch and down to Hogsmeade. After going to Honeydukes, where the boys had splurged, and filled their pockets, they were walking down some side streets, which were residential. Halfway down the road, she could make a silhouette. It was a girl, long black hair whipping around in the wet weather. Blaise gave her a wave and she began walking towards them she could see that the girl was wearing a stylish black, fur-lined coat, glittery clacks, and knee-high boots. Soon they were only three feet apart.

The girl smiled at Malfoy and Zabini, and went and gave Zabini a hug. "I missed you, darling." She said. "I missed you too." Turning to Malfoy, who was rolling his eyes, she was about to ask him who she was when she suddenly remembered who she was. Ignoring Hermione, the girl went and hugged Malfoy, "Drakey.." she squealed, while eh grimace. The girl laughed once and smiled. "Draco." As this girl finally turned to acknowledge Hermione, her eyebrows rose.

"Granger."

"Parkinson" she said, mocking her.

"Easy now, girls. Play nice." Zabini said. "And Granger, it's Parkinson-Zabini now."

"Oh." She gave an awkward smile. Turning back to the girl, she extended her hand and smiled. "Pansy." She smiled back. "Hermione." Setting herself loose from the boys, Pansy led her down the street to a small, multi-storeyed house. "So you're a fashion designer, I hear." Hermione said. "Well, yeah. I got myself this little studio, and I'm working on my own label." Pansy replied. As the girls began talking about clothes, the guys had gone and sat down on some chairs and were playing chess. She began to appreciate the fact that they had gotten Pansy to meet her. She really needed a girl to talk to. All this girly talk, about clothes, and hair and makeup, couldn't be done with those of the male persuasion. It was why she had had Ginny. She suddenly missed her BFF very much, but she knew that she could count on Pansy now.

They were poring over her designs, talking about fabrics, and colours and styles, when the boys popped in. "So what's the topic of the conversation?" Malfoy asked. "Clothes." They said together, and went back to their chatter. The boys groaned, and they could be headr clattering around the kitchen looking for food. Hermione shook her head. "They've done nothing but eat for the past 2 hours, and they can still find space?" she asked Pansy incredulously. "I know, " she agreed. "And then, they stay so thin, and toned, and they don't bloat..." and they sat there and recounted all the things boys shouldn't be supposed to be able to do. After a quick lunch of a sub, Pansy decided that they should go shopping. "Bye, boys!" she waved. "Be good!"

They went to Gladrag's first, where they each bought a new set of robes. Then to Madam Malkin's HOgsmeade outlet, where Hermione fount the most gorgeous, sparkly ballerina flats, which she bought at once. Her reward for –saving the wizarding world' had gone into the billions, and she had won many cash prizes, and accolades for her academic achievements, leaving her quite well off. They later bought some donuts, which they munched while discussing the gorgeous bracelet Pansy had bought. "Blaise has to the matching necklace for my birthday.", the rich girl pouted. "Don't worry," Hermione laughed "I'll be sure to tell him about it when he comes to for advice." The girls laughed at this.

It was getting late, Hermione thought, and they set out to look for the guys, who were in the newly-opened Quidditch store in HOgsmeade. Dragging them off to the castle, she reflected on the wonderful day she had spent with Pansy. She hoped that she would have more. This was her first truly happy memory since she the war had begun.

_Hermione Granger's face had a small smile on it when Draco and Blaise ran into her room. They were puzzled at the smile, but too worried about the coma to pay it much attention. They went to find her Healer, demanding to know whether she would wake up._


	4. Chapter 4

"_We obviously hope she will wake up, but at this point, it's hard to tell. The sleep potions and spells wore off quite some time ago, so we can clearly rule out regular sleep. I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy, but there is high possibility she may never wake up." The Healer's words ran through Draco's head again and again. He began writing to his mother, thinking about the first time he wrote her about Hermione._

It was October, and there had been an announcement of a Halloween ball. It was breakfast, and he had come down early to escape the annoying chattering of the girls.. As the owls flew in, he was surprised to see one he recognized. A handsome eagle owl with amber eyes. It was the family owl. Which meant...his mother.

_Dear Draco,_

_I am coming to Hogsmeade for a day with Pansy. I feel much better, and I refuse to remain cooped up in the house. I would be delighted if you would come and join us for lunch. Bring Blaise too. Please reply quickly. I hope you are well._

_Narcissa_

He read it and smiled. He was just putting it in his pocket when Blaise arrived, gossiping with Hermione. Really, that boy. Gossiped as much as the Patil twins put together. "What's up?" he asked. Hermione and Blaise looked toward the Ravenclaw table. He followed their gaze, and saw a girl making soppy eyes at some douche who was eating more than Blaise would. Suddenly the guy screamed. He turned back. "What was that?"

"Oh." The two snickered. Well, Kirstin, who's _totally _in love with Mark, was tired of him not paying any attention to her and then well, today, she being a very smart person, charmed his food into looking like a whole bunch of maggots." While he would have expected this response from Hermione, he was _slightly_ horrified at hearing it from Blaise. Shaking his head, he said. I'm going to Charms. As soon as his last period, Transfiguration, was over, Draco ran to the common room and began writing.

_Mother,_

_Of course, Blaise and I will meet you. However, I have a small request. Could Hermione join you and Pansy for the day? I think it would be nice for her to meet someone outside school. I'm sure she wouldn't mind meeting you. _

_Draco_

He called his owl, Acer, and tied the parchment to it. He received a very quick affirmative reply. There was the weekend sorted. The thing was, it was Monday. He would have to wait. He got up and decided to go to the library, where he was sure Hermione would be. And he was right. As usual. He smirked. She looked up. "Oh it's you." She gave him a look. "Get that ugly smirk off your face. It's not like you anything to lord over me." He obeyed, and pouted instead. He sat opposite her. When she looked up at his pout, she laughed. He gave a look of indignation. "You dare laugh at a _Malfoy_, Granger?" he said, trying to sound as imperious as he possibly could. "Why yes, I would." She mocked. He frowned. "Anyway, my dear Granger, what does one find you doing here today?"

"Potions." She replied, not looking up. He was incredulous. "That's due in _two weeks, _Hermione!" She laughed again. "You sound like Ron." He crinkled his nose in disgust. Was she comparing him to _Weasley_? Ew. "Weasley, Granger? Seriously? Ugh." She reached out and swatted his arm. "It's not like _you're_ much better."

He was incredulous. "Of course I am! I'm a Malfoy. We're the best." He said, puffing out his chest. "Well, clearly I'm not going to get any work done, so we might as well go back to the common room." Getting up, her book bag slipped out of her hands and the books tumbled to the floor. He picked up a small book. "Good Omens?" he read out loud. "You've read this?" " Well, duh."

" I love Terry Pratchett." "You _know_ Terry Pratchett?" surprise in every feature of her face.

"Of course. He's a wizard."

"What, really?"

"Yes, really, dummy." He said, sliding out a small copy of Thud! from his pocket. By this time, she had picked up all her books. So they began walking to the common room, talking about his books, arguing about the best. They bickered until they reached the common room, where they found Blaise looking at an essay gloomily. "What's up, Blaise?" he asked, sinking into a chair while Hermione turned to look at the long parchment. "I can't seem to get this Herbology essay right." He said shaking his head. He went to look at ti again, but they both saw it Hermione's hand, while she corrected it with her wand. "_Thank_ you, Hermione." He said. Draco studied Hermione. "It's nothing, Ha-Blaise." She correcte hastily. He saw her eyes looking wistful, until she suddenly shook her head and began to hastily correct the essay. He began waiting for Friday.

And as it should, it came to him, who waited. It was just before dinner. "Erm, Hermione, my mother's coming to Hogsmeade tomorrow to go shopping with Pans, and well, you're invited." He looked at her, trying to gauge her reaction. She looked surprised, on the whole. She bit her lip in that cute way of hers before she agreed, which he knew she would have done anyway. _Girls._ "So it's settled, then." He got up and walked away before he could make it anymore awkward.

_Draco was pacing the room, while Blaise went to tell Pansy. He kept sneaking glances at Hermione, who unbeknownst to him, was dreaming about the same thing he was._

Hermione remembered clear as day the first time she properly met Narcissa Malfoy. She had decided to wear a simple white sleeveless dress which floated to a stop just above her knees. She wore her new sparkly slippers, and had her hair pulled back with a black butterfly barrette. She walked to Pansy's house, revelling in the cold wind that chilled her arms. She found Pansy in the living room, waiting. At 5 past 9, the flames of the fire that had been warming them turned green, and Narcissa Malfoy swept out, looking as regal and dainty as ever, seemingly unaffected by the war that had ravaged the wizarding world.

"Hello Pansy, Hermione." She smiled. Pansy went and hugged her. "Narcissa."

Hermione, feeling awkward, stood up and simply said "Mrs. Malfoy." "Oh please, call me Narcissa." She laughed a tinkling, sweet laugh. "Narcissa." 'Narcissa' turned to the stairs and said, "Shall we, my dears? Draco said the boys will meet us for lunch, so we have a few hours." Hermione, confused why Narcissa was going inside instead of out, asked "Umm. Where are we going?"  
"Why, to design our gowns, of course!" Pansy replied excitedly. "Gowns..?"

"Of course, dear. You have a Halloween ball coming up, don't you?"

"But I'm not going..." she replied.

"Nonsense, darling. I'm sure someone will ask you. Anyway, Pansy is also going, and we are going to design your gowns."

They walked to Pansy's study, littered with sketchbooks and designs and tiny pieces of fabric. "Well, it has to be costume, so I don't really know what you can do..." Hermione trailed off as she saw the excited look on Pansy's face. "There's so much to do! Come on Hermione, so many things to try, new ideas. We'll be the belles of the ball!" she squealed.

The three set to work, discussing everything about the dresses. Fabrics, costume, detailing, colour, accessories, everything! Occasionally one of them would get up and get a drink or a bite to eat, especially Hermione. All that talk starved her. At the end of three hours, a little while after noon, they had come up with two beautiful gown designs, accessory ideas, and styling. It was then that the boys came knocking.

"Ah that'll be Draco and Blaise." Narcissa said. The three went to open the door, and there they were, hopes of a large, filling lunch written all over them. The ladies grabbed their coats and walked out of the house. Hermione was walking alone through the streets, trailing behind husband and wife and mother and son. She felt slightly left out, but not for long. Draco to the rescue. Grabbing her arm, he went and pulled her to his mother, who had an amused sort of smile on her face.

As she berated Draco for being such a _child_, Narcissa began with the embarrassing baby stories. Ooh, this would be fun. Blaise and Pansy, finally pulling away from each other, joined in, regaling Hermione with the most hilarious stories while Draco himself stood there with a petulant pout on his face.

"Oh come on, Draco, it's _funny._ Get that adorable pout off your face, before I do it for you."

"And how do you plan on doing _that_?" he asked, a sly grin on his face. She blushed inside before saying "By _slapping_ you, of course. Don't want a repeat of third year, do we, _ferret_? Or fourth, for that matter?" She watched with vindictive pleasure as the grin slid off his face.

"You wouldn't," he breathed. "I'll see." She replied cheekily, just as they reached the restaurant, _Carré_. It was a new, fancy French place that Hermione had really wanted to go to. They walked in, and hung up their coats as Narcissa said "Malfoy party of five." The server bowed and led them to a table.

The meal was excellent. Hermione had Duck a l'Orange, and by the end, she was fit to burst.  
They walked back to Pans' house, where they ditched the guys, and walked down the small and twisty streets until they reached and saw a store with exquisite fabrics draped all over the display. "Why is this all the way back here?" she wondered.

Pansy, as if in answer to her question, gave a happy little clap "Oh god, it's _sooo_ exclusive. It has only the best fabrics, and _very _few people know about it." In they went, and they emerged only three hours later, bags full of rolls of fabric. As they reached pansy's house, Hermione dropped off her bags and turned to the two women in front of her.

"Pansy, Narcissa, I just want to say thank you for inviting me. I really needed this shopping trip to relax. I feel nice knowing I have new friends, people who'll be there, and people who I can enjoy time with."

Oh, Hermione, thank you for saying that. I had a wonderful time today, girls. I look forward to doing this again." Narcissa smiled and stepped into the living room to say goodbye to Draco. Hermione and Pansy looked at each other for a few seconds before stepping into a bone crushing hug. "Thank you so much, Pansy. It was wonderful. I'll come as often as I can to help with the dresses."

The two walked into the living room. Narcissa was gone. Before she could say anything, Blaise quickly said, "Hermione, Draco, you two go on ahead. I'll follow." Draco and Hermione shared a look. They were both resisting the urge to smile. "Of course, Blaise...we'll leave you two alone." She giggled and then she and Draco walked out together.

They walked together, side by side, hands brushing each other. They walked in a nice companionable silence until they reached Hogwarts. But then, Draco made her make small detour around the lake, to pile of cool flat rocks on the other side. She felt him looking at her, and turned, blushing. "Um..Hermione.." he said "Will you go to the ball with me?" a hopeful smile tugged across his features and all she could think about was how _adorable_ he looked in that moment. "Half of her didn't believe it when he stuttered out, "That.. I would love to.", and part of her was jumping up and down in excitement. They sat by the lake, in an empty silence, looking at their undisturbed reflections in the lake, which slowly turned darker as the time passed.

_The sky grew darker and the stars shone brighter as Hermione continued to sleep. Draco was in the chair by her bedside, having fallen asleep waiting for her to wake up. No one dared disturb two people looking so peaceful, until one of the nurses dared to go and close the door, leaving them alone together._


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/n: **_**Back at last! Sorry it took so long. The Ball is in the next chapter! Please R&R!**

_A new day dawned outside of St. Mungo's and Draco woke up automatically at 8 am. He looked around in confusion until he saw the girl on the bed in front of him Today, all the specialists would arrive to look at Hermione. She had only been in a coma for a few hours, but the Healers had said that there was something different about hers, something they couldn't really explain. But now, he was hopeful._

As he woke on the morning of the 31sst of October, Draco was excited. He was looking forward to the night's ball. More importantly, he was looking forward to going with Hermione. Once upon a time, he would have been revolted if he thought that, but now, nothing made him happier.

He walked into Blaise's room, only to see that his friend the Italian wasn't there. Okay then. He walked back into his room and took a shower. He wore a tee shirt and Muggle jeans, as they had been given the day off classes in preparation. Walking down to breakfast, he saw Hermione and Blaise sitting together.

"Hey," he said as he approached them. "You ditched me!" he continued, in an injured tone with a pout on his face. Hermione laughed and gave a bright smile. He forgot what he had been going to say and simply smiled back and sat across her.

"So what's the plan for today?" Blaise asked, mouth full. Before he could reply, Hermione cut in "Well, Pansy and I are helping set up the Great Hall for most of the morning, but we'll have some free time for you two to...hang out before the ball." She gave a suggestive look to Blaise, who reddened. "And in the morning, Blaise and I will go play Quidditch." He said to Hermione, while Blaise looked up eagerly.

He got up once he was done and said "I'll see you later." to Hermione. He dragged Blaise back to their dorm to get their brooms. "Look, mate.." Blaise began, as Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes, Blaise I like her, which is why asked her to the ball. Yes, you can tease me all you want. Now shoo." Blaise grinned at him while he scowled.

He picked up his broom and followed Blaise out of the common room, thinking about Hermione the whole way.

He mounted his broom immediately upon reaching the pitch, while Blaise went in search of a quaffle. He rose up into the sky, flying up, until he saw the Hogwarts grounds, stretching away for miles. He looked around at the scenery. Even though it was October, the sun had decided to grace the world with its presence today. He could feel it. Today was going to be the perfect day.

"Oi, Malfoy!" He heard Blaise shout from far below him. "Incoming!" Draco swooped down and caught the Quaffle he had thrown. And thus ensued an enjoyable game of one on one Quidditch, which was, unfortunately a tie.

"Hey, mate, we better get going." Blaise said once they landed. "It's past six, and the ball starts at seven."  
"There went your 'alone time' with Pans." He smirked. Blaise reddened as his face fell. They walked in silence to the common room. Everyone must have been inside getting ready, because it was deathly silent and abandoned.

He walked into his room and picked up the black garment bag lying on his bed and unzipped it. Fifteen minutes later, Draco Malfoy stepped out of his room dressed impeccably in a tuxedo, his hair still wearing the slightly messed up look he was so fond of now. He walked into Blaise's room, where the dark boy was struggling with his socks. Draco laughed at this. Blaise scowled at him and finally slipped into his shoes.

"Mate, we need boutonnieres." He snapped. "And which flower would the pretty lady like today?" Draco asked, managing to keep a straight face. "A red, red rose, please." Blaise replied sweetly. "As you wish, milady." Draco laughed, transfiguring a nearby glass into a red rose, while transfiguring another into a white one. Blaise's eyebrow rose. "Shut up." He barked before any comments could be made.

He walked back into his room and picked up his mask and a small flat velvet box, which he slipped into his pocket. He put on his mask and walked up the stairs and sat on the couches with Blaise, waiting for the girls. Looking across the hall, he could see that the other guys were doing the same, but then he saw their dates walk down the stairs and the four left, leaving the two Slytherins worried that they'd be late. But there was still plenty of time.

He heard the click of the lock on the door and looked up eagerly and he saw a fold of silver slip through. The door opened wider and a gorgeous girl walked through it and down the stairs, her silver gown slinking behind her.  
It was Pansy.

Then, there was another silhouette at the door and the girl who stepped out was simply...stunning. she slowly walked down the stairs, her beautiful dress cascading behind her. Draco's mouth practically fell open.

_The first specialist had arrived. She walked in and nodded to Draco before conducting a check up with her wand. She waved her wand over Hermione's body, muttering screening charms while Draco watched._

Hermione had woken up ridiculously early on the day of the Ball. She had been simply too excited. Pansy was coming around ten, and then they would be helping decorate the hall. She dressed simply, a black shirt with a flowy beige skirt and black sandals, and went down to breakfast, where she met Blaise.

As they talked, she saw Draco walk in. Laughing at his playful charade, she gave him a bright smile. His response was dazzling, and she was surprised to herself slightly dazed. She continued nibbling on the chocolate donut she was eating for a while after they left, reading her book.

As soon as she finished, she went to the Hogsmeade gate, where she waited for Pansy. "Pans! Finally!" she yelled when the girl finally arrived. They walked to the Great Hall, but breakfast wasn't over yet, so after Pansy grabbed a pumpkin juice, they went to her own room.

"Wow." Pansy stared at the room. "If I had known Hogwarts would be like this, I would have come back." She dumped the two bags she was holding on a chair and plopped down on the bed. Hermione picked up the garment bags and hung them in her closet. As she was doing so, Pansy asked her, "So who're you going with?"

"Draco." She replied, as though it were obvious. She suddenly felt a faint blush colouring her cheeks. As she turned around to face Pansy, the black-haired girl squealed. "I knew it! You like him! Omigod you're perfect for each other!"

"I don't like him." She said, though her brain protested vehemently against those words. "Oh, pishposh. That's absolute nonsense, and you know it." The girl ridiculed her. Hermione felt a smile growing on her face. "Well, just a..maybe..yes, ok I like him!" "Ha!" she exclaimed.

Hermione was slightly annoyed by now, and snapped at her. "Well, it's getting late. I'm pretty sure the Hall is empty by now." "Ohhhkay." Pansy smirked and skipped ahead. Hermione had been right; the Hall was empty save for the few other volunteers, mostly prefects.

They got to work, charming the ceiling to look like a thunderstorm even though it was a perfectly clear day. Jack-o-lanterns and guttered candles hung from the ceiling on lit up the small niches and alcoves off the side of the hall. The floor was transfigured a smooth and golden dance floor, with refreshments tables on the sides. They put wrought iron sculptures, snaking their way around each other, on the sides, with dark red candles inside, spooking up the room. Bats hid in corners, and occasionally flew through the hall.

It was perfect. They were done around three, and decided to go the kitchens to eat lunch. They spent a good while there, not really eating much, but simply wandering. They were only out by four thirty, but there were two of them to get ready, and then there was her own _hair_ and she knew that would take an hour by itself.

They returned to the common room and couldn't find the boys, so they simply went into Hermione's room to get ready. First, Pansy dragged her into the bathroom and washed her hair. After using a few spells on it, Hermione's hair, still incredibly curly, was smooth and shiny. Carefully levitating locks with her wand, Pansy pulled it into and updo with the shorter strands falling around Hermione's face.

Then began makeup. Pansy began doing Hermione's eyes, dismissing her protests of wearing a mask over them with a huffy wave of her hand. Judging from what Pansy had done to her, the theme of the day appeared to be a starry twilight. Her eye shadow and lipstick were indeed those patterns. Hermione had to admit she loved the way her eyelids faded from the dark black of her eyeliner into the beautiful purple starry sky.

Pansy was getting ready while Hermione got into her dress. Hermione marvelled at the smoothness of the soft purple fabric with silver and black lines running across it. It was a spaghetti strap dress with a sweetheart neckline which flowed down to her feet, with a small train. The dress gathered at the middle of her back, where there was a silver butterfly pin pulling it together. However, the wings of the clip did not end. The silver-black patterns of the dress seemed to emanate from the wing-tips, curling from till slightly below her knees. They curled inwards, to the centre of her stomach, where there was a small plain spot. She was amazed by how she looked.

While Hermione had been busy admiring herself, Pansy had gotten ready and dressed. She wore pale lavender lipstick with sparkly silver eyeliner, matching her stunning silver strapless mermaid dress and metallic heels. She wore gorgeous diamond drop earrings and a necklace with a matching pendant. Her sudden movement into the reflection caused Hermione to suddenly jump and look for her own jewellery.

She found her amethyst earrings, but couldn't find the matching necklace. Realizing that they were almost late, she decided to forgo it and slipped on her silver cuffs hurriedly when pansy handed her her starry mask.

Pansy opened the door and gently walked down the stairs, leaving Hermione alone at the top. She briefly considerd not going, but suddenly she thought of Draco and her doubts vanished and she stepped onto the top stair. She saw Pansy holding on to Blaise's arm, and her breath caught when she looked at Draco.

She blushed at the way he was looking at her as she walked down the stairs, and finally sttod in front of him. He offered her a hand. "Shall we?" he asked, as she concentrated on his beautiful smile. Shaking herself from her trance, she replied. "Of course."

_The last specialist had left an hour ago. Draco sat on Hermione's chair as he looked at her when he heard footsteps. It was on of the first specialists of the day. "Mr. Malfoy, we have not made much progress on identifying Ms. Granger's condition, but I'm sorry to say that there is nothing that will help us until a couple of weeks, as by that time, most known magical maladies, if she has any, will have worn off. Now, Mr. Malfoy, would please help me fill out some paperwork?"_

"_Of course." He said dully and with one last lingering look at the occupant of the bed, walked out after the Healer._


	6. Chapter 6

_Draco had come back to Hermione's room as soon as he finished signing the last form. It had been a day since she was admitted, and after the forms, he never so much as shifted his position in the chair. Not even when Hermione was wheeled out to the testing room. She was wheeled past him, and suddenly he saw a girl in a purple dress dance past._

Hermione remembered the night only too well. She had taken Draco's hand and he had led her to the Hall. They had stopped outside the doors when they saw the rest of the eighth years milling about. She looked at the people. All the guys wore tuxes, no costumes for them. The girls had come as quite interesting things. She saw the Ravenclaws as flowers and she was pretty sure the Hufflepuff was from Gone With the Wind. She felt wonderfully proud of her costume.

She heard McGonagall's voice, amplified to sound outside the Hall saying, "We would like those who have been here longest to open, so let's please welcome the Eighth Years!" Hermione held Draco's arm and they got in to the line, at the very end, just as the doors swung open. They were entering form the first floor, and somehow the Hall had been modified to have an ornate staircase from the main door.

AS they walked down Draco turned to her and asked, "So what're you supposed to be, anyway?"  
She simply gave a cheeky smile, and said "You'll see." She looked at the couples around her with interest. She saw Zacharias Smith with Susan Bones, Terry Boot with Su Li, and Michael Corner with... was that _Cho_?" She must have come for the ball. She was surprised she could see through their costumes and masks so well.

She suddenly realized Draco was leading her onto the dance floor. She quickly said a short incantation under her breath as he turned her to face him before they started dancing. She smiled as his eyes widened and heard the sharp intake of breath from the crowd. The designs on her dress had glowed for a second, before rising off the dress to form fairy wings, continuing off the pin, not unlike the wings of the common room faerie, from where she had got the idea.

A soft, slow waltz began as she put her hand on his shoulder. They began to dance, stepping forward and back, around each other, and then, they were twirling around the room, her dress fanning out around her feet, the soft material swirling as her faerie wings beat gently against her. Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly saw more colours, bright colours joining in and dancing.

She wasn't the bookwormish Gryffindor everyone she thought she was outside of school. At least, she hadn't been. She had been dancing since the age of four, and always continued during the summer. She had never had a partner who could match her so perfectly. She thought of the Yule ball four years before. Viktor had been surprisingly graceful considering the way he walked, but he never kept up.

Soon, she was tired, and told Draco so. They found a table near one of the candle-lit sculptures and sat. She was quite startled to realize that they had been dancing for nearly forty minutes. She was hungry, and simply spoke out loud, "Oreo cheesecake."

She saw Draco lift an eyebrow at her, and tried to wave off the comments before they came, but-"Bit early for that, isn't it Granger? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem to have missed four _whole_ courses!" She tried to interrupt, but, "And _oh dearie_," he said, slipping into a higher tone, "what about your figure!" he squealed in mock horror.

Hermione couldn't take it. She closed her eyes and drew in a breath. She was going to explode in an angry outburst or simply just curl up and die. She finally opened them and saw Draco looking at her with his roguish grin. Suddenly the helplessness just melted away and she exhaled. Then she burst out laughing.

Never did she look away from his eyes, and she continued to stare at the icy grey pools long after she had stopped laughing. Only when they were interrupted by Pansy clearing her throat did Hermione look down and scoop out a small piece of cheesecake while Pansy and Blaise sat down, wearing matching smirks.

"You really danced well together." Commented Pansy with slightly raised eyebrows, as she leant across for a bite of cake. "Er.. Thank you?" Hermione said, just looking up from the cake. She met Draco's eyes and hastily looked down again. "Well, you two seemed to be getting on perfectly fine without us. So if you'll excuse us, we have _something_ we'd like to do." Blaise said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Hermione sighed and looked back down at her cheesecake.

_Draco had fallen asleep in his chair. The girl in the purple dress walked in front of him, leading him away, away, so far away from all his sadness, all the pain he was going through. She turned around and smiled at him and his breath caught in his throat. He would follow her anywhere._

Draco had just reached the table where Hermione had been with the drinks when he realized that she wasn't there. He looked around and thought he saw her silver wings somewhere to his left. He put the drinks on the table and began to chase after it. The dancy crowd wasn't helping him any, as they kept getting in his way and stepping on his feet.

He finally escaped the crowd and saw a small door to his side close. He silently opened the door and stepped through. He was outside, in the fresh air, with the wind pushing into his face. He looked skywards, searching for the stars, the little bright spots in everyone's gloomy nights. However, the sky was nearly identical to grey storm the Hall had been charmed to resemble. He looked to his left, and saw a narrow staircase.

He thought he saw a small movement at the top, and decided to climb up. The stairway was a twisty spiral with steep steps, making him trip once or twice. He finally reached the top. He was awestruck. It was a large terrace, tiled with smooth black granite with a railing made of a soft white stone.

Light spilled onto the terrace from his left. Looking to his side, he realised that the terrace was behind the windows behind the teachers' table, through which the owls entered. However, instead of the soft golden light forming a clearly defined arc, it simply faded into the blackness of midnight.

He went towards the silver haze standing at the railing. She was leaning over the railing, looking at The Black Lake, which seemed identical to the floor of the terrace he was standing on. He slid his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. Her silver wings beat fast against her as the wind swung them around. She turned to him and put her head on his chest.

He looked down at her, the beautiful girl, who had her eyes closed, her eyelids shining with the stars she wore, and felt her body shake with every sob. He pulled her in tighter as the wind grew fiercer, protecting her from the sharp cold stabs as it pounded against their bodies.

He looked towards the wilderness beyond the Lake, where it was completely dark and silent except for the rustling of the leaves as the wind pushed them about, contrasting with the merriment he could still faintly hear from behind, accompanied by the bright golden glow of happiness in the lives of all those people from whose lives a great dark shadow had been lifted, allowing them to be truly happy for the first time in many years.

He looked back at the crying girl. The shadow may have been lifted from her life, but certainly not her sorrow. Looking down at Hermione, Draco asked her, "What happened?" as gently as he could. Her sobs began die down, as did the wind. "I was just thinking about Harry..and Ron, and Ginny, and my first ball. I remember that night so well...Everyone's eyes had been on me, everyone had been talking about _me_, and I absolutely_ hated_ all the attention I was getting." She leant against his shoulder. "Today, I just wished that just _one _conversation in the Hall had been about me, just one. Just to see someone cared." She gave a funny laugh, half laugh and half sob. "It's funny, you know...Ron made me cry that day, and look, he's gone and done it again." She started laughing hysterically. He realized she was crying.

"Hermione. Hermione. _Hermione." _ He called, trying to calm her down. "Hermione, please listen. You are an amazing person. You are beautiful, intelligent, kind, caring, you're _perfect_. The world made a huge mistake forgetting you, but not everyone forgot. I didn't forget, Hermione. I couldn't. I care about you, much more than you know. And Blaise and Pansy; they care about you too. My mother...She may not know you, but she asked about you, Hermione, and she's never asked me about anyone in any of her letters before."

He took out the velvet box and opened it. Inside sat a beautiful gold, platinum, and diamond starburst pendant on a gold and platinum chain. He pointed at the flawless diamond that sparkled in the centre, "That's you Hermione. You live your life shining bright, being beautiful, being _flawless. _Yet, as you dance your way through life, you shine your light on so many others, making everyone else just a little bit better, more beautiful. This is for you, Hermione, to remind you that someone cares about you, and always will."

She had stopped crying during his speech, but now a tear slipped out. He wiped it away and asked, "May I?" She wordlessly turned around and he lifted the necklace from its case and clasped it at the back of her neck. When she turned around to face him again, he did the most natural thing he had ever done; he kissed her. You could see the reflections, one in the eerie calm of the lake, the other on the smooth granite; the fairy kissing the rogue.

And at that very moment, a bright flash of lightning turned the world white; so white, it seemed violet. The air sparked of ozone as he slowly pulled away. "Shall we dance?" he asked her, as a slow, gorgeous waltz sounded from the Great Hall. As they began to dance, the world melted away, leaving them alone, completely invisible through the sheets of pouring rain.

_Draco woke up with a start. The lights had gone out. They flickered once before returning. He got up for the first time since he sat down. He walked up the stairs, all the way to the roof. Unlocking the door with his wand, he stood there on the roof, screaming things only He who it was meant for could hear through the powerful storm that raged on, so strong it had knocked out the magical lights of the hospital; so strong, it had released his tears._

* * *

**A/N: So, what do you think? like it? Don't? REview, please!**

**Thank you, HogwartsDwarfKat, Grovek26. ThePinkPolkaDot, Rissa1986 for reviewing**

**Grovek26:****No, Harry and Co. will not be featuring in this fic until the last one or two chapters; it goes against the whole story I have planned out, you see. **

**:)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/n: So sorry I haven't updated. I'm usually only free to write on Saturdays, and school has been hogging that time. BUt here we go! Updates should be slightly more frequent, but not for a while. I've also got this great new story idea, so I might be posting soon!**

_Draco woke with a start. He felt cold stone underneath him and slowly opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. He could only see the frozen grey sky around him. He was freezing. He suddenly remembered. He got up brushed himself off and dried himself with a simple charm. He opened the roof door and walked down._

Hermione awoke with a start in her bed. She twisted around and accidentally kicked something warm. She opened her eyes. "What happened last night?" she wondered. She looked to her left and saw Pansy's long black hair strewn around her face.

She recalled coming back to her room and being surprised at Pansy's presence. She'd expected her to be in Blaise's room, doing god knows what. She suspected Pansy had come to ask her aaaaall the details about Draco, and was glad the girl was asleep when she returned; because the brightest moment of the night, literally and figuratively, was not one she planned on sharing.

She got up and looked at herself in the mirror. She was surprised she had managed to change. She looked up and down and her eyes fixed on the pendant that stood out against the black of her tank top. She smiled at the memories it brought, even though she had received it merely few hours previously.

She picked up a card on her dresser. She unfolded it and read:

_Hermione,_

_Yesterday was wonderful. You looked so perfect yesterday. I know it's rather short notice, but I can hardly wait. Would you please do me the honour of accompanying me for lunch?_

_Draco._

She smiled at the letter, and then set about worrying what to do. Or, to be more precise, what to wear. Her intention was to give Pansy the slip: goodness only knew what the girl would make her do. So she ran about, looking for nice clothes. After all, she was dressing to impress. After a short time, she had happily decided. She dressed in a black sleeveless top and a high waisted black-patterned white knee-length skirt. She left her hair loose and wore flat, black shoes.

As she opened the door to leave, she turned to make sure Pansy was still asleep when a flash of silver caught her eye. She had nearly forgotten her necklace! She quickly slipped it over her head and ran out of the room, practically skipping. She had had quite a lie-in, she noticed, when she saw the clock in the common room showing almost noon.

She had expected lunch to be at around half past, and was glad she was ready just in time. She went to the Great Hall in hopes of finding Draco there, but it was empty save for a few studious people. Her face fell, but suddenly a pair of arms slipped themselves around her shoulders.

"Hermione." She could hear the glee in his voice and she turned to face him with the sweetest of smiles. "Draco." She felt like a child, she could barely remember being so happy; the War had repressed those memories. She willed the unhappy thoughts out of her mind; today she only wanted to focus on the man in front of her.

"Shall we?" he interrupted her thoughts. "Of course." She replied.

They walked side by side, past Filch, to Hogsmeade. She sighed with relief as they walked past Madam Puddifoot's. The door jangled as yet another happy couple went in, letting the aroma of milk and tea and cookies through, a too-warm wind in the sharp November cold.

"Where are we going?" she asked, curious. She hadn't explored Hogsmeade much and was frankly surprised to find that there were, in fact, eating establishments besides Puddifoot's, the Brromsticks and the Hog's Head. "Then again," she mused, " People didn't go out much earlier. Now, with the War behind us, people do prefer to relax a bit."

"It's a surprise." Came the reply, startling her out of her reverie. The brisk wind pushed her skirt forward and made it swirl around her knees. She laughed like a child and twirled, watching her skirt fan out below her. Dizzy, she caught Draco's arm before she could slip on the pavement. She saw him smiling at her and her cheeks reddened from the pink the wind had made them, to a dark crimson.

He led her to a side road where she found a small open-air cafe, sparsely populated by some of the older students who wanted to relax. He led her to a small table for two, which had a bunch of Sweet Alyssum in a small vase, and had a bush of delphinium on the side. It looked _so_ adorable.

She sat down on the chair and let him order for her. She simply gazed at the flowers, letting them brush against the tips of her fingers. And then they began to talk.

He asked her a question, she answered. And vice versa. Within the one hour they had spent at the cafe, she was sure that was the most she'd told anyone about herself. Sure, Harry and Ron had observed and figured out, but they had never asked or listened. She enjoyed the new feeling of people paying attention to what she had to say.

_Draco was looking at Hermione as she lay on her bed, looking worse than before. He heard the happy laugh of someone outside the room and a wave of sadness washed over him. Her voice...her laugh, it had been the most beautiful thing in the world._

Draco watched Hermione as she laughed and chattered away about herself. He found out that her favourite colours were purple and grey, and that she loved cats, like that mangy old half-Kneazle she had kept around for so long. It reminded of the cat from that muggle cartoon, Garfield. He remembered her astonishment when he told her that he read Muggle books. It was always the funny ones he liked. He had missed out on those as a child and there was no time like the present to make up for it.

He held a great affection for those Calvin and Hobbes books. He had kept one now-battered copy with him for the past two years. Calvin's exploits, which reminded of his childhood, and which introduced him to a certain viewpoint of Muggle childhood, were the only thing that kept him going. He always found happiness when he thought of another child, far away, still innocent, still happy, and how one day, again he might see one just like that.

She had nearly cried.

He then proceeded to freak out until she exclaimed, "That's so sweet!" but then grew pensive again, and he realised she must have been thinking about her own parents. He quickly changed track. So, I was reading this book the other day..." he laughed when she looked so eagerly, she must have cricked her neck. She winced and despite the look of sympathy he was trying to keep up, he laughed, and she gave him one of her looks, until she began to laugh herself.

It was a sweet tinkling sound, and her perfect teeth were spread out in a smile as she picked up her coffee, which she nearly spilled when her hand shook from laughter. When she finally finished her coffee, he noticed a waiter come and hand out a bill. Before she could protest, he slipped a few galleons into the book and held out his hand for her to take.

He had planned a walk for them, through the back lanes of Hogsmeade, where he had seen some beautiful plants and flowers on the facades of the houses. And he had heard from Pans that there was a "simply gorgeous" garden, as she had put it, somewhere at the end.

As they walked hand in hand, he saw some older residents look at them appraisingly and smirked. The conversation restarted, this time it was about Blaise and Pansy. He began to tell her all about how they had been friends since childhood, and how somehow life had changed during Hogwarts, when Pansy became whiny and possessive and Blaise had simply floated out of the picture, and how when he began to ignore her, Pansy had gone to Blaise resulting in their happily married state of present.

As they rounded a corner, he saw the gate of the park and ended his reverie with "...AND Pansy, with her excellent taste in everything, even mentioned this place." ?He watched as she looked around. There wer the high back walls of the houses which joine into a brick wall which formed an arch, lined with climbing roses ,forming the entrance to what appeared to be a quaint little park, lined with creeping trees. As they passed under the arch, he turned her towards him and slowly bent down, reaching her lips, into the softest kiss he had ever had, so sweet and gentle she was and he felt so pleased when she slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer into the perfect kiss.


	8. Chapter 8

_Pansy and Blaise were in Hermione's room, along with Sagittaria. Draco was back on the roof, getting soaked. Hermione had been important to more than just him, and they had wanted to introduce Hermione to Tara. Blaise sat next to 'Mione,looking like he would cry. _

Three weeks after their first date, Hermione was studying with Draco in the library when Blaise had rushed in, evidently in a panic. "Draco, mate," he panted as he skidded around their table, "I need to borrow your girlfriend." Draco's eyebrows shot up, while Hermione looked on perplexedly. "Excuse me?" Draco asked.

Blaise rolled his eyes, and shoved him. "Move over." He said, sitting on the chair Draco had until recently, occupied. Hermione couldn't help but laugh at the indignant look on Draco's face as he sat up on the carpeted floor of the library. But she had other matters to attend to. She turned to Blaise. "Hermione," he was saying, "we have a crisis." She rolled her eyes at his drama. "What is it _this_ time, Blaise?" she asked, sniping. "I have no idea what to get Pansy for her birthday, and it's in two weeks!"

Now that _was_ a problem. "Easily remedied." Said Hermione, recalling something Pansy had mentioned a couple months before. She gave Blaise an evil look. "You up for a shopping expedition?"

The next day, Hermione met Blaise outside the Great Hall at eleven. He was wearing muggle clothes, and she was wearing an impatient expression. "You're late." She informed him curtly. "It's two minutes past, Hermione. Geez." They walked out together, and Hermione began to lecture him about the details.

"So, you know that bracelet Pans has been wearing a lot the last few months?"

"Oh yeah, the blue one."

"Correct. Well, she mentioned something about a matching necklace, so that's what you have to get, okay?"

"Right."

They entered the small jewellery shop together, and Hermione quickly asked for a display of necklace patterns. They were immediately presented with a huge array. "Silver and Platinum only." Blaise informed the jeweller. The golden designs vanished, replaced by more white designs.

The two stared at numerous designs for more than an hour, trying to shortlist, but managing to eliminate very few. Hermione searched in vain for something that scream "Pansy" to her, but no luck. Then suddenly Blaise tugged her arm and she turned to look at a design he was pointing at.

It was a Silver Late Victorian era Bib necklace with numerous tiny settings for stones, with a big one dangling from the centre. "That's the one for her," she confirmed, "Could we have some turquoise and blue zircon stones in the settings, please?" she asked the jeweller. Instantly, the settings were filled with the blue stones.

"I'll take it." Blaise nodded, and jeweller began a binding spell on the stones. Mere minutes later, they walked out of the shop, Blaise holding a velvet box in his pocket. "Now it's my turn." Hermione stated. Blaise shot her a confused look. "My turn to buy her a gift." She explained. "Oh."

She knew just what she was going to get Pansy, she could see it in her mind's eye. They walked into Estelle, a footwear boutique, and Hermione took to the shelves. Blaise, meanwhile sat boredly on the comfy couch. Another hour passed, and she simply could not find what she was looking for. She had nearly reached the back room, and jumped with surprise when he suddenly tapped her on the shoulder as she bent over a rack.

"I'm hungry." He whined. "Oh yes, Blaise, whatever." Hermione muttered, absorbed in her task. He waved a hand in front of her face. She turned to face him, annoyed. "I. Want. Food." He enunciated each word clearly, as though she was hard of hearing. "Oooh. Well, fine." She said dejectedly, disappointed that she could not find the perfect shoes.

He took her to a small coffee bar he said Pansy had shown him. They talked and laughed over sandwiches and coffee, getting to know each other well while doing so. As Hermione drained the last of her coffee, she rose and said, "Well, back to work." Blaise pouted. "Oh, come on." She pulled him up by the arm he had raggedly stuck out to her.

They walked for a good fifteen minutes until Hermione reached the one place she knew she would find the shoes. It was a tiny shop, but the few things in it were absolutely adorable. She found the shoes in a back shelf, not exactly what she had imagined, but she thought that it would actually work better.

They were high heeled white sandals with teal flowery prints and lime green waves. She tried them on to see how they would look while being worn, and noticed that the shoes let out a puff of glitter each step she took. But as soon as she thought of them without the glitter, they stopped. She smiled victoriously and lifted the shoes and dumped them on the counter. Half an hour later, they were both back at Hogwarts, resting their feet, while they filled in Draco with their doings of the day.

_Now Pansy was sitting next to Hermione, holding Tara and telling the cute little baby about her amazing 'Auntie 'Mione" , crying over her baby and enemy-turned-best friend._

It was the 10th of December, Pansy's 18th birthday. Luckily, it was Saturday, and they had the day off. Hermione would be joining Pansy for lunch, and Blaise was taking her out to dinner, while Draco got half an hour for elevenses. Not that he minded that much. The next day, they would be going out for drinks. It was going to be an ideal weekend.

Hermione watched Draco walk out to get his best friend from her house, and smiled when he gave her a wink. It seemed to have gone well, as Hermione would have assumed, going from the account Pansy presented at lunch. Draco had given her a magical portfolio for her designed, embossed with Pansy Parkinson-Zabini. Apparently he had assured her that it would change to her brand logo as soon as she decided on one.

As a second treat, Hermione had promised to get Pansy ready for her dinner date with Blaise, and they were doing some last minute shopping before returning to the house. Hermione made sure Pansy bought blue drop earrings and a small sash to go with the dress.

It was nearing five when they returned to Pansy's house, and preparation began instantly. Pansy was ushered into her bathroom, while Hermione pulled out all her clothes in search of one dress. Thirty minutes later, Pansy had emerged from the shower to find her room untouched; only Hermione's messy hair giving away that something was up.

Hermione pushed Pansy down on a chair as she began to comb her hair. She was wearing a white lace dress of her own design, and old piece she had been shocked to rediscover. Once the hair and makeup was done, Hermione presented her birthday gift.

"Hermione, they're gorgeous!" Pansy exclaimed as she tried them on. Hermione smiled "It's been a while since I've had to shop for someone else." She explained, "And I wasn't entirely sure you'd like them." Pansy simply squealed and gave her a hug. "Of course I like them, silly. They're gorgeous!"

"So, all ready for your birthday date?" Hermione asked as Pansy spun around, looking at herself in the mirror. "Naturally. He's my husband, not a blind date." They walked down the stairs, and Hermione caught sight of a snowflake as it fell from the sky. She pointed this out to Pans, who grinned with delight. "First snowfall of the season, on my birthday!"

As they entered the living room, Hermione asked Pansy to hold out her hand. At Pansy's confused look, she held up the bracelet, which glimmered in the near darkness of twilight in the empty room. As she slipped it on, Pansy began to speak.

"Hermione...I want to thank you. We've only been friends a few months, but we're closer than I ever was to any of the other Slytherin girls. This kind of friendship, it's new to me, but I love it very much."

Hermione stepped forward at these words, encompassing the Slytherin in a hug. "It's been wonderful for me too, Pansy. I've missed this kind of friendship and I'm overjoyed to have found it again with you. You are now, officially, my sister!" she exclaimed playfully, as they released each other.

They grinned at each other and the doorbell rang.

_Draco walked into the room, and found Blaise and Pansy as he had seen them earlier. Pansy shifted to give him some space next to Hermione and they sat in silence. Pansy handed Tara to him, and he sat there with her in his lap, looking at Hermione's face in contemplation._

The day after Pansy's birthday, the four of them met at the Broomsticks at six. Hermione arrived with Draco, and the two of them awaited Blaise and Pansy's arrival. They ordered drinks while they waited. Pansy and Blaise arrived a few minutes after their drinks, looking flushed and excited.

Draco raised an eyebrow at Pansy's slightly dishevelled hair and gave a questioning look, dismissed by an airy wave of said lady's hand. "So, what will you have?" He asked, expectantly, as they signalled a waitress.

"A round of Butterbeers, please." Blaise said to the girl. "Oh, not for me," Pansy interrupted. "Just a coffee, please." "Sorry, I forgot." Said his best mate, sheepishly. This interaction certainly piqued Draco's interest. Something was up.

"Well, what's up?" he asked Pansy, pointedly. He could make out his girlfriend having a conversation of sorts with Pansy, through their eyes. Hermione let out a small gasp, and Draco demanded that he be told what everyone already seemed to know.

Just before they started explaining, the pesky waitress arrived with their drinks. Now he had to wait for everyone to take a few casual sips before the explanation would be forthcoming. He fumed silently. HE was Draco Malfoy, no one kept secrets from _him_. He had been Slytherin house's goldmine of secrets, always useful for blackmail and extortion.

He tapped the table impatiently, as the rest of the three smirked smirks at him that could rival his own. How Hermione got to know, in those few quick glances, he would never fathom, but he suspected he might be being unnaturally dense.

Finally, Pansy Vega Parkinson-Zabini opened her mouth to speak. "Well, Blaise and I have something to say."

"Evidently." He retorted.

"Uh... The thing is..."

"Pansy's pregnant!" a girlish squeal finished the sentence for her, and while it sounded like it might have come from Hermione, she wouldn't have said that, and he was, again, horrified to find that the source was Blaise, who was now rubbing his shoulder after Pans' rather brutal smack.

While Hermione went over to hug Pansy offer congratulations, Draco turned to Blaise.

"So that's what you've been doing all those times you've slept over. And to think I doubted your gender." He smirked.

His best mate, slapped him on the arm and Draco grinned. "Congrats, mate. Blaise Zabini is now officially and _finally_, irrevocably, off the market, much to the despair, of no one. Tied down to his family, never to be released." He joked, earning a few laughs.

Hermione, who he suspected had recently begun carrying a small magic camera with her everywhere she went, flagged down a waitress, and asked her to take a shot.

The four of them posed, bunched together to fit into the frame, and ended up turning to each other and laughing, resulting in an adorable picture. As it got imprinted on a sheet of paper, they all turned to look at themselves, laughing heartily and giving small waves.

_Draco fished out his wallet from his pocket and took out a a folded piece of paper, which turned out to be a photo. He passed it Pansy who looked up at him with tears in her eyes, and then to Blaise, whose face mellowed. They passed back the picture of the four of them, from when they first knew about Tara, to know, nine months later, with Sagittaria Parkinson-Zabini born, and Hermione Granger, half-dead. The family walked out together, but before they could leave, Draco turned to them and said, "I'm sorry. I forgot that you loved her too."_


End file.
